Ex vivo cell stimulation

Abstract

Provided herein is are methods for evaluating the biological activity and / or therapeutic potential of a glucan, comprising in one embodiment: co-culturing a first population of cells with a second population of cells, wherein the first population comprises cells capable of being stimulated by said glucan to produce and / or secrete cytokines and growth factors, and the second population comprises collagen-producing cells; contacting said co-cultured cells with the glucan and incubating for a period of time sufficient to induce the production of collagen from the collagen-producing cells; and determining the level of production of collagen from said collagen-producing cells, wherein the level of production of collagen is indicative of the biological activity and / or therapeutic potential of the glucan.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to methods for the ex vivo stimulation of cells by glucans. In particular, the invention relates to methods for stimulating macrophages and collagen-producing cells, such as fibroblasts, and for inducing collagen production from collagen-producing cells. Methods of the invention are applicable to, inter alia, evaluation of the biological activity and therapeutic potential of a glucan product, and the generation of cells and cellular products for administration to subjects in need of treatment.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Glucans are oligosaccharides or polysaccharides composed predominantly or wholly of glucose. Glucans are widely distributed in nature, being found in the cell walls of a variety of plants, fungi and microorganisms. Beta-(1,3)(1,6) glucans derived from yeast, such as the bakers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, have been identified as having particular therapeutic potential for the treatment of a v...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]The present invention is predicated, in part, on the inventor's finding that the in vitro stimulation of macrophages by a microparticulate glucan from yeast cells can be utilised to induce collagen production by fibroblasts. Thus, embodiments of the invention make use of intercellular communication betw

Problems solved by technology

A common problem facing the development of any composition designed for in vivo administration to a subject, in particular administration to humans, is the evaluation of the biological efficacy and therapeutic potential of the active ingredient(s).

Biological efficacy and therapeutic potential can be adversely impacted by a number of factors.

It is often difficult to ascertain the nature of such side effects in advance.

Similarly, the therapeutic potential to be derived from any drug or composition can generally not be predicted with any confidence prior to administration.

For ethical reasons, it is apparent that such evaluations cannot be readily carried out on humans.

There is also a significant trend against the use of animal models for such trials.

Currently used screening technologies for biological validation, pharmacological testing, and screening for success or failure of drugs and compositions in clinical trials typically suffer from a number of disadvantages including poor predictive value and absence of patient-specific focus.

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